Top Of The Pilot Casting

In conjunction with the burner being restored it was also necessary to restore the pilot.  The pilot operates the same manner as the burner does.  Fuel, this time gasoline (actually hexane now since gasoline has too many additives and tends to carbon foul the vaporizer) is vaporized and mixed with air before being burned on the top side of the pilot casting.

The top of the Cruban casting has the word “EMPIRE” drilled into the casting.  Empire Manufacturing Company of New York manufactured Cruban burners.  Liquid fuel is admitted to the pilot by the pipe located just below the circular pipe in the photograph (this pipe is better seen in a later photo in this gallery).  The fuel flows through ports along the sides of the pilot casting where it is heated to near vaporization temperature.  It is then routed through the circular pipe where flame from the pilot impinges on the pipe to finally vaporize the fuel into a gaseous state.  Once vaporized, the gas is injected into a mixing tube running the length of the pilot.  This tube, positioned within the body of the pilot casting runs under the drilled holes of the casting, fills a chamber in the pilot casting with gaseous fuel.  As combustion occurs above the top surface of the pilot casting, unburned fuel is drawn through the holes at the top of the casting from the interior chamber of the pilot.